On June 6, 1944, more than 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline, to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which, “we will accept nothing less than full victory.” More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day’s end, the Allies gained a foot-hold in Continental Europe. The cost in lives on D-Day was high. More than 9,000 Allied Soldiers were killed or wounded, but their sacrifice allowed more than 100,000 Soldiers to begin the slow, hard slog across Europe, to defeat Adolf Hitler’s crack troops. During World War II (1939-1945), the Battle of Normandy, which lasted from June 1944 to August 1944, resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control.

Codenamed Operation Overlord, the battle that began on June 6, 1944. Also known as D-Day, some 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. The invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history and required extensive planning. Prior to D-Day, the Allies conducted a large-scale deception campaign designed to mislead the Germans about the intended invasion target. By late August 1944, all of northern France had been liberated, and by the following spring the Allies had defeated the Germans. The Normandy landings have been called the beginning of the end of war in Europe.

(The above comes from the WWII history as reported on internet websites).

Nine days later in the Pacific theater of operations of WWII:

The Battle of Saipan:

The American invasion of the Japanese stronghold of Saipan in the western Pacific was an incredibly brutal battle, claiming 55,000 soldiers’ and civilians’ lives in just over three weeks in the summer of 1944. The U.S. Marines spearheaded the amphibious landing, encountering a fierce and well-prepared resistance from the Japanese troops who controlled the commanding heights looming over the beach.

Artillery, snipers and automatic weapons took a deadly toll with casualties mounting under the remorseless barrage. Marines later commented on the precision of the Japanese mortars and artillery fire. A battalion caught out in the open took heavy casualties as it desperately tried to dig in and find shelter, with one of its officers recalling: “it’s hard to dig a hole when you’re lying on your stomach digging with your chin, your elbows, your knees, and your toes. … (But) it is possible to dig a hole that way, I found.” Such was a precarious beachhead established on the first day of the invasion.

On June 6, 1944, more than 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily fortified French coastline, to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which, “we will accept nothing less than full victory.” More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day’s end, the Allies gained a foot-hold in Continental Europe. The cost in lives on D-Day was high. More than 9,000 Allied Soldiers were killed or wounded, but their sacrifice allowed more than 100,000 Soldiers to begin the slow, hard slog across Europe, to defeat Adolf Hitler’s crack troops.

The Battle of the Bulge ended today, January 25th – 71 years ago.
General Anthony Clement McAuliffe commanding the U.S. Army’s beleaguered and surrounded 101st Airborne Division during World War II’s Battle of the Bulge, is best remembered for uttering a single word. McAuliffe received a German surrender ultimatum to surrender or be destroyed. “Nuts!” he replied, and that became a lasting symbol of American courage and determination under fire. (Military.com).

In WWII history the Battle of the Bulge (16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945) was a major German offensive campaign launched through the densely forested Ardennes region of Wallonia in Belgium, France, and Luxembourg on the Western Front toward the end of World War II in Europe.

Different forces referred to the battle by different names. The Germans referred to it officially as Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein (“Operation Watch on the Rhine”) or usually Ardennen-offensive or Rundstedt-Offensive, while the French named it the Bataille des Ardennes (“Battle of the Ardennes”). The Allies called it the Ardennes Counteroffensive. The phrase “Battle of the Bulge” was coined by contemporary press to describe the way the Allied front line bulged inward on wartime news maps and became the most widely used name for the battle. Read more »

It was the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in the year 1918. Armistice day was officially declared on that day November 11th, 1918 when the fighting ended at the close of WW1. It would take about 7 months till the Treaty Of Versailles officially ended “The Great War” on June 28th, 1919. That treaty was signed in the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles.

I have been to that Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles. However, to be sure it was quite a number of years after the signing when I vacationed in Europe. It is an absolutely beautiful room in a magnificent Palace.

From Wikipedia and the internet: An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday—a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as “Armistice Day.” This was a day primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation’s history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word “Armistice” and inserting in its place the word “Veterans.” With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars. Later that same year, on October 8th, 1954, the 34th President of the United States, who was a 5 star general in the army in WWII, and Supreme Commander of the allied forces in Europe, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first “Veterans Day Proclamation” which stated:

“In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans’ organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose. Toward this end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs as Chairman of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include such other persons as the Chairman may select, and which will coordinate at the national level necessary planning for the observance. I am also requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive branch of the Government to assist the National Committee in every way possible.” President Eisenhower signed HR7786, and changed Armistice Day to Veterans Day.
Happy veteran’s Day, and when you see a veteran, Thank him, or her. If that is you reading this, then Thank You

From an article written by C. Peter Chen as seen in an internet search of Japan’s surrender:
“With the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki destroyed by atomic weapons, the will of the Japanese leadership was tested. Then came the news that the Soviet Union declared war on Japan, with troops crossing into northeastern China an hour later. These three reasons led to Emperor Showa’s decision to break the deadlock at his council which debated fruitlessly whether or not to respond to the Allies’ call for unconditional surrender. The Emperor said at the Imperial conference:

“Continuation of the war does not promise successful conclusion no matter from what angle the situation is considered. Therefore I have decided, without suggestions from anyone, to order the conclusion of the war, as I cannot endure the thought of having to kill tens, evens hundreds of thousands of my subjects, and moreover to have to be called the disturber of world peace. Moreover, it is extremely difficult for me to have to turn over to the Allied authorities officers and men upon whom I have depended all this time as though they were part of my own body. But I have decided to endure what is unendurable and to accept the terms of the Potsdam Declaration.” Read more »

It is June 15th, 2015. It was 71 years ago on June 15th, 1944 that Admiral Turner, Commander of the Expeditionary Force of Operation Foreger ordered: “Land the Landing force.” The time was 0542. H-Hour (the time the 1st wave of amphibious vehicles was scheduled to hit the beaches) was 0830. The place was the island of Saipan.It was WWII.
Assault elements of the 2nd and 4th Marine Divisions were carried in 34 LSTs (Landing Ship Tanks) to a place about 4000 yards from the shore of the island. That place would be “the line of departure.” 12 more LSTs carrying artillery were right behind the 34. Read more »

I was recently given a new book, and I got to thinking about a people who had a lot of trouble in WWII.

Prior to, and during WWII Adolf Hitler thought the Aryan race to be the superior, or the master race, and the Jews to be the most inferior, as well as the cause of all Germany’s problems to include losing WWI. The extermination of 6 million of them proves his point of view.

During the period leading up to and including WWII there were some individuals who did all they could to save the lives of the Jews. I asked the internet who were some of the individuals who rescued Jews in WWII, and a long list of names come up on a site. Corrie ten Boom is one of those names. I mention this because when in church a few days ago I was given a book titled CORRIE TEN BOOM WORLD WAR II HEROINE. The book was written by a Sam Wellman, but given to me by Pastor Leslie Hale of Tarpon Springs, Florida. Corrie ten Boom had been a friend of the pastors, and back in 1982 I heard her speak in a church service in the Calvary Temple of Denver, Colorado. At that time it was Pastors Charles and Betty Blair who introduced Corrie ten Boom to the congregation.

Again I asked the internet about the meeting in Denver, and found a site by the church’s Pastor Todd Walker. It tells us in past: “The Ten Boom family were devoted Christians who hid Jews from the Nazis during World War II. Corrie became a ringleader in the under-ground. Through their activities, the ten Boom family and their many friends saved the lives of an estimated 800 Jews.”

“February 28, 1944, the family was betrayed. The Gestapo raided their home. Casper, Corrie, Betsie, and their brother William were all arrested, but four Jews and two members of the Dutch under-ground, hidden behind a false wall in Corrie’s bedroom, were never found. Casper (84 years old) died after only 10 days in Scheveningen Prison. When Casper was asked if he knew he could die for helping Jews, he replied, “It would be an honor to give my life for God’s ancient people.” Read more »

Pain and Purpose in the Pacific: True Reports of War
Pain and Purpose in the Pacific offers a unique glimpse of Marines, Air Corps, Soldiers, and Sailors to include Coast Guard at war and the family and friends they leave behind. Bright bridges a historical look at World War II with vignettes of the realities of war, giving the reader a clear-eyed view of what it means to live and die in service of your country.

In Pain and Purpose in the Pacific: True Reports of War (published by Trafford Publishing), author Richard Carl Bright tells the stories of his uncle Carl Johnson, an American Marine who spent 30 months in the Pacific during WWII. As the United States Marine Corps fought costly campaigns in the Pacific, Carl saw bitter combat on the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Okinawa.

In this moving work, Bright, who lived for seven years on Saipan, puts a human face on the tragedies of war, ushering readers into the darkest pits of destruction (the pain) and into the brightest views of hope and redemption (the purpose). Bright traces his Uncle Carl’s travels during World War II, from his homeland in Minnesota to the battle-torn islands of the Pacific, all the way to Japan. Bright, a veteran of Vietnam, colors his prose with his personal experiences and observations by traveling to many of the Pacific locations, including Iwo Jima, the Marianas Islands, Peleliu and the Philippines. He also personally interviewed Carl’s Platoon Sergeant, Arthur Wells, who fought at Carl’s side. Read more »